I had a handful of people yesterday comment on my deadlift video asking about my opinion of what I think is better, touch-and-go or dead stop (resetting between each rep) reps for deadlift.

Joe DL

I honestly have clients do both depending on the situation. Here are a couple of my opinions on how I utilize both:

Touch-and-Go

I like using these when doing frequent moderate percentage deadlifting volume (like in a program like 5/3/1), because (as long as you do them controlled) touch-and-go deadlifts allow you to lock into a tight position and complete your entire set without having to stop and get tight again. You get more constant time under tension, and personally I find I am less beat up deadlifting frequently when I do it this way.

Couple things to keep in mind: 
  • Because now you're adding a eccentric (lowering) part to the movement, and are doing more reps in a row; it's a lot easier to get away with sloppy reps and still bounce the weight off the floor to complete the lift, while getting out of position. Make sure to stay tight and controlled with these, and don't just drop the weight to the floor with each rep. Take advantage of the time-under-tension aspect of these to work the hamstrings and back as you lower the weight.
  • This is a big one: Because all of the reps following the first rep you do on a touch-and-go set will have an eccentric portion, the deadlifts will be slightly different than if you were doing each rep separately. This is why often times when someone tries to calculate an estimated 1 rep max off a deadlift set (for instance, 405x10 would technically predict a 540lb 1RM), they get frustrated when it doesn't end up being accurate. This is why I don't like trying to approximate 1RMs from rep maxes for touch-and-go deadlifts (but they usually work better with squats and benches).

Joe Deadlift

Dead Stop (Reset) Reps

I like using these for Speed Pulls, Technique Work, Reps in Single or Multi-Ply Gear, or when Deadlifting Heavy Less Frequently (less than once per week). The technique on these carries over more to your exact 1 rep max technique, and it's much more difficult get away with sloppy technique on these.

Couple things to keep in mind: 

  • Like I mentioned regarding touch-and-go reps, I think sets (especially with 3+ reps) with dead stop reps are much more taxing on the body because each rep you have to lock back into your starting position, have no eccentric part of the lift, and the set takes longer to finish. Because of this, I don't like deadlifting heavy like this for reps frequently while also training the squat heavy on a weekly basis.

  • The risk for injury on these can be higher as well, IF you try to push through sets while fatigued and technique starts to falter (usually a rounded back is the first thing to happen when you get gassed on dead stop reps).

  • When programming percentages for these reps, I'll typically drop the weights about 5% lower than touch-and-go reps, to ensure technique holds up and the lifter can recover better.

...Like with most things, there's a time and a place for both, they just need to be programmed wisely and adjusted to the individual needs of the lifter.

 

For Coaching or Programming Questions, you can contact me at joeschillero@gmail.com